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The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) has decided to conduct a third-party audit of the Asan Khidmat Markaz (AKM) Initiative. This independent validation aims to assess the program’s compliance with its approved scope, architecture, and policies.
The Asan Khidmat Markaz (AKM) initiative is a flagship citizen facilitation program of the Government of Pakistan. It delivers integrated public services through both digital platforms and physical facilitation centres. The initiative involves multiple stakeholders, including MoITT, ICT implementation partners, and infrastructure executing agencies such as the CDA.
Given the scale and public importance of AKM, MoITT intends to engage a reputable independent firm. This firm will conduct a comprehensive validation to identify gaps, risks, and improvement opportunities.
The scope of work is extensive. The selected firm will audit the application, database, middleware, and integration architecture. Furthermore, they will verify system documentation, such as SRS and architecture diagrams. The audit also covers the assessment of system scalability, availability, and fault tolerance.
Security remains a top priority. Consequently, the audit will assess access control, authentication, and audit logging. The firm will review the system against applicable standards like ISO 27001, OWASP, and NIST. Additionally, they will evaluate data protection, backup, and disaster recovery mechanisms.
Beyond technology, the audit focuses on process and governance. The third-party firm will validate end-to-end service workflows and review decision-making structures. They will also assess vendor management and SLA oversight.
Financially, the review will ensure alignment with the approved PC-I and scope. It will identify multi-stage financial responsibilities across entities like the CDA and ICT operations. Moreover, the firm will conduct a program-level value-for-money assessment.
However, MoITT clarified that this review shall not constitute a forensic audit or bill verification. Instead, the objective is to provide practical and prioritised recommendations to enhance service delivery effectiveness and citizen experience.
